Exercise machine information system

ABSTRACT

An example system and method involves receiving data communicated from multiple exercise machines and storing machine-related data for the multiple exercise machines. The machine-related data includes at least maintenance data, use data and warranty data for a respective one or more of the exercise machines. The machine-related data is updated based on the data received from the multiple exercise machines and one or more operations is automatically performed with reference to the stored machine-related data to produce operation-generated information about one or more of the multiple exercise machines.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/728,880,filed Dec. 8, 2003, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/382,684, filed Aug. 25, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,916, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 08/842,113, filed Apr. 28, 1997,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,924.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to an exercise system and, moreparticularly, to an exercise terminal network including exerciseterminals usable by an exerciser in a training or rehabilitationprogram. The exercise terminal network facilitates the use of differentexercise terminals by an exerciser during a workout.

An exerciser participating in a training or rehabilitation program willgenerally perform a variety of exercise activities. These activities caninclude stretching, walking, biking, swimming, and jogging, as well asthe utilization of one or more exercise devices. Such exercise devicesinclude, for example, weight machines, stair climbers, steppers, rowingmachines, ski machines, treadmills, cross trainers, and stationarybicycles. Some of these devices are part of exercise apparatus ormachines and are controllable by controllers (such as processors) inaccordance with exerciser-selected program data which sets and/or variesthe exercise level. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a stationary bicycle 5which provides automatically-varying exercise levels as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,358,105 to Sweeney, Jr. The control system for thestationary bicycle includes a microcomputer 10 which communicateselectronically with a keyboard 12, a read-only memory 14, and a display16. The read-only memory 14 stores the operating program formicrocomputer 10 and a plurality of pre-stored exercise programs whichare selectable by an exerciser. Movement of pedals 20 rotates a sprocket22, which causes a chain 24 to drive a small diameter sprocket 26attached to a flywheel 28. The variable load which an exerciser mustovercome in order to rotate sprocket 22 is generated by an alternator30, which provides a variable resistance to the effort of the exerciserthrough its driving connection with flywheel 28 by a gear belt 32.Microcomputer 10 controls the loading circuit of alternator 30. Theoutput of microcomputer 10 on line 34 is a pulse width modulated signal,the width of which is proportional to the effort required by theexerciser. The changes in pulse width vary the field current in thealternator to cause variations in the resistance of the alternator tothe force exerted by the operator. An exerciser using the stationarybicycle may select a pre-stored exercise program from read-only memory14 for execution by microcomputer 10 to automatically vary the exercisedifficulty level by generating pulses whose width is a function of theeffort required by the exerciser. Using keyboard 12, an exerciser isalso able to select a difficulty level and an exercise time.

Other exercise apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,337 to Shyu;U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,257 to Dyer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,710 toWatterson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,504 to Trulaske et al.; and U.S.Pat. No. 5,512,025 to Dalebout et al.

From workout to workout, an exerciser will often vary his/her exerciseactivities to achieve particular fitness goals and/or to avoid injury.For example, the exerciser may vary the time, the distance and/or thespeed of his/her jogging from workout to workout. Similarly, theexerciser may vary the exercise apparatus used, as well as the exerciseprogram, the different difficulty level(s) and/or the total exercisetime from workout to workout. Thus, for example, an exerciser using anexercise apparatus may select exercise program data (for example, anexercise program, a difficulty level, and/or a total exercise time)which defines a relatively easy workout on a day following a relativelyhard workout. Or, an exerciser may utilize a stationary bicycle and astair climber during one workout and a treadmill and weight machinesduring another workout. In addition, after several months of a trainingroutine, an exerciser will likely find that he/she is able to perform athigher activity levels. In the case of jogging, this may mean theexerciser is able to jog for longer times and distances at higherspeeds. In the case of using an exercise apparatus, it may mean that theexerciser is able to use the exercise apparatus at higher difficultylevels and/or for longer total exercise times.

However, exercisers attempting to achieve specific fitness goals mayhave problems selecting exercises, exercise apparatus, and/or exerciseprogram data for each of the exercise apparatus to best achieve theirgoals and to maximize the benefits of workouts. While health clubs mayhave fitness consultants who assist exercisers in the initial selectionof exercise apparatus, exercise program data, and other exercises whichare best suited for the exerciser and his/her fitness goals, exercisersare often left on their own after this initial assistance. As theexerciser's fitness level increases, the initial selections of exerciseapparatus, exercise program data, and other exercises may no longer besuitable. While an exerciser could hire a fitness consultant, this canbe very expensive for exercisers participating in a long-term trainingprogram.

Additionally, exercisers who use exercise apparatus at home and exerciseon their own generally do not have fitness consultants available toguide them through the selection of particular exercise apparatus,exercise program data, and other exercises to achieve specific exercisegoals. Such guidance may be particularly important for persons followinga program of exercise prescribed by a doctor. For example, the Agencyfor Health Care Policy and Research recently recommended thatrehabilitation programs for heart attack patients include exercisetraining customized to fit the patient's heart condition and otherphysical traits. While patients could undertake such rehabilitationprograms on their own, a panel of cardiologists gathered by the Agencyreported that studies have shown that patients who participate incomprehensive rehabilitation programs under close physician scrutiny aremore likely to follow better heart habits for life, while those who tryon their own often fail. Particularly important is a customized exerciseprogram, where a doctor determines which exercises (e.g., walking orbicycling) are best, as well as how much exertion the patient can take.Where such rehabilitation programs utilize exercise apparatus such astreadmills, stationary bicycles, stair climbers, and the like, theexercise program data selected by the patient must be carefully chosenin view of the particular patient's recovery and physicalcharacteristics. Participation in other exercises such as jogging orbiking must also be based on the patient's recovery and physicalcharacteristics. The selection of exercise apparatus, of exerciseprogram data, and of other exercises may be difficult for the patient.

For these and other reasons, exercisers frequently do not receive thefull benefits of their exercise because the selected exercise programdata or other exercises are either too easy or too difficult or notwell-suited to the ultimate fitness/medical goals or medical history ofthe exerciser.

SUMMARY

One or more exercise terminals are connected via a communications linkto a central computer to form an exercise terminal network. Theseexercise terminals may include exercise apparatus terminals, exercisestation terminals, and exerciser data input terminals. The centralcomputer has a memory for storing a database which includes, inter alia,data regarding the exercisers who use the exercise terminal network. Anexerciser may consult with a fitness consultant(s) (e.g., a physician, aphysical therapist, or a personal trainer) to develop an exerciserprofile and/or to set certain fitness goals. The profile and/or goaldata, along with any other desirable data, is entered into the databaseusing, for example, a display (such as a computer monitor) and an inputdevice (such as a keyboard and/or a pointing device such as a mouse ortrackball) of the central computer. The data in the database may be usedby a system control program of the central computer and/or by thefitness consultant(s) to determine workouts for each exerciser whichwill best help the exerciser achieve the fitness goals which he/she hasset.

The workouts may include the use of one or more of the exerciseapparatus terminals in the exercise terminal network. In this regard,the system control program and/or the fitness consultant(s) selectexercise data for controlling these one or more exercise apparatusterminals. This exercise data may include an exercise program selection,an exercise time, and/or a difficulty level(s) and is selected basedexercise data selection criteria which may include, but is not limitedto, one or more of the exerciser's profile data, the exerciser's fitnessgoal data, and data regarding the exerciser's previous workouts.

The workouts may also include exercises such as stretching, sit-ups,pull-ups, and the like which are performed without using an exerciseapparatus or machine. In this regard, the system control program and/orfitness consultant(s) select exercise data such as a number ofrepetitions and/or a time period for the exercise. Again, this exercisedata is based on criteria which may include, but is not limited to, oneor more of the exerciser's profile data, the exerciser's fitness goaldata, and data regarding the exerciser's previous workouts. For suchexercises, the exercise data may be communicated to the exerciser usingan exercise station terminal.

Each exerciser using the exercise terminal network is preferablyassigned an exerciser identifier such as an exerciser identifier number.An exerciser using a particular exercise terminal enters his/herexerciser identifier using, for example, a numeric keypad. A processorof the exercise terminal uses the entered exerciser identifier to accessthe database stored at the central computer. In the case of an exerciseapparatus terminal, for example, exercise data is retrieved and theprocessor of the exercise apparatus uses the retrieved exercise data tocontrol the exercise apparatus. In the case of an exercise stationterminal, exercise data such as a number of repetitions and an exercisetime is retrieved and the processor communicates the exercise data tothe exerciser via a speaker and/or a display.

While the exerciser is exercising, one or more physiological parametersof the exerciser such as heart rate, blood pressure, and the like may bemonitored. The system control program and/or the fitness consultant canuse such data in order, for example, to select future exercise data, toselect the next exercise to be performed in the current workout, and/orto select or vary the exercise data for the next exercise in the currentworkout.

At the end of an exercise, the exerciser is prompted using aural and/orvisual prompts as to which exercise should be performed next or that thecurrent workout is over.

The exerciser may periodically update his/her profile data in thedatabase using one of the exerciser data input terminals connected inthe exercise terminal network. These data input terminals may, forexample, include a device for measuring some physiological parametersuch as weight, heart rate, blood pressure, and the like and a devicefor communicating these parameters to the database of the centralcomputer. Such updated profile data may be used to determine the effectof the workouts on the exerciser and to select exercise data for futureworkouts. The profile data may also be updated using an exerciseterminal or a computer having a display and an input device(s).

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood from a reading of the following detailed descriptionin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a prior art stationary bicycle 5.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic control system ofstationary bicycle 5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exercise terminal network 100 in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a stationary bicycle 200 which mayconstitute one of the exercise apparatus terminals 104 a in exerciseterminal network 100 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic control system ofstationary bicycle 200 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a graphical profile of exercise level versus time for anexercise program which may be utilized by processor 201 of FIG. 5 tocontrol the exercise level of stationary bicycle 200.

FIG. 7 illustrates display 208 and keypad 210 arranged on display andkeypad panel 220 of stationary bicycle 200.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an exercise station terminal 104 b usablein exercise terminal network 100 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8B is a diagram of a display for exercise station terminal 104 b.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exerciser data input terminal 104 cusable in exercise terminal network 100 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of central computer 102 of exercise terminalnetwork 100 shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate various database portions which togetherconstitute at least a portion of the exercise database of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a table for defining a workout for an exerciser.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are display screens which may be provided to guide anexerciser using the exercise terminal network 100 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 14A-14C are flow charts illustrating operations of exerciseterminal network 100.

FIGS. 15A-15E are display screens for communicating to an exerciserwhich exercise terminals are currently in use and for providing aterminal reservation capability.

FIG. 16 illustrates a table which is stored in the memory of an exerciseapparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 3 illustrates an exercise terminal network 100 which includes acentral computer (server) 102 and exercise terminals (clients) 104 a,104 b, and 104 c connected together via a communications link 106.Exercise terminal network 100 may be a local area network (LAN)conforming to any conventional LAN protocol. Communications link 106 maybe a twisted pair, a coaxial cable, or an optical fiber, or any otherconventional communications link. Exercise terminal network 100 may alsobe a local area wireless network (LAWN) using radio transmissions inwhich case communications link 106 is a wireless communications link.Exercise terminal network 100 may also be arranged as a wide areanetwork (WAN), in which case the communications link 106 may includetelephone lines. For example, the exercise terminals of a single healthclub location may be connected together as a LAN or a LAWN, while theexercise terminals of a plurality of health club locations may beconnected together as a WAN.

As will be described below, the exercise terminals in exercise terminalnetwork 100 may include, but are not limited to, exercise apparatusterminals 104 a, exercise station terminals 104 b, and exerciser datainput terminals 104 c. The present invention is not limited with respectto the type of exercise apparatus terminals 104 a which may beincorporated into network 100. Thus, any exercise apparatus terminalhaving an exercise device controllable by control circuitry such as aprocessor in accordance with program data may be incorporated into thenetwork. Such exercise apparatus terminals include by way of example,but not by way of limitation, stationary bicycles, stair climbers,steppers, rowing machines, ski machines, treadmills, cross trainers, andweight machines. Exercise terminal network 100 may also include one ormore exercise station terminals 104 b. These terminals may be arrangedat locations where exercise is performed without the use of an exerciseapparatus controlled by control circuitry, e.g., free weights,stretching, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Exerciser data inputterminals 104 c for supplying exerciser data to central computer 102 mayalso be incorporated into network 100. For example, an electronic scalemay be provided for supplying the weight of exercisers to centralcomputer 102. Other devices for supplying physiological data such asbody temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and the like may also beincorporated into exercise terminal network 100 so that such data can beused in the selection of exercise data for an exerciser. While FIG. 3shows one exercise apparatus terminal, one exercise station terminal,and one exerciser data input terminal connected to central computer 102,it will be appreciated that one or more of any or all of these terminalsmaybe connected in the network 100.

Exercise terminal network 100 is not limited to implementation in healthclub settings and the exercise apparatus terminals, exercise stationterminals, and exerciser data input terminals described above can beprovided at the same or at different locations. For example, a singlecentral computer may be linked to terminals in one or more health clubs,exercisers' homes, hotels, resorts, medical facilities, etc. Thus, forexample, an exerciser data input terminal for measuring blood pressuremay be provided in an exerciser's home and the blood pressure datacommunicated to central computer 102 over communications link 106.Fitness consultants may remotely access central computer 102 using apersonal computer and a modem, for example, in order to access theexercise database and evaluate the progress of exercisers, as well as toupload exercise data for exercisers. Similarly, exercisers may remotelyaccess the exercise database in order to obtain a record of theirexercise activities. Where such remote access to the exercise databaseis provided, access to the data may be limited. For example, anexerciser might only be given “read” access to the database, whilefitness consultants may be given “read/write” access to the database. Insome instances, the read/write access of a fitness consultant might belimited to data regarding only those exercisers with whom the consultantis consulting. An exerciser whose weight and other physiological data iscommunicated to the central computer over communications link 106 may begiven “write” access to the fields of the exercise database related tothis information. Implementing a database having different access levelsusing passwords, for example, is well known and will not be describedherein. In addition, if an insurance company (“payor”) is paying thefees for an exerciser's health membership, the payor may be permittedaccess to the exercise database to verify the exerciser's use of thehealth club. For example, claim analysis software of the insurancecompany may be modified to include a routine which accesses the exercisedatabase to verify the exerciser's use of the health club prior toauthorizing payment of a claim for the membership fees. Similarly, if aninsurance company is providing an exerciser certain discounts onpremiums based on the exerciser's participation in a training routine,the insurance company may be provided access to the exercise database toverify the participation.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a stationary bicycle 200 which may constituteone of the exercise apparatus terminals 104 a of exercise terminalnetwork 100. Elements of stationary bicycle 200 which are the same asthose of stationary bicycle 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated withthe same reference numbers and descriptions thereof are omitted. Withreference to FIG. 5, the control system of stationary bicycle 200includes a processor 201 such as a microprocessor for controlling theoperation of stationary bicycle 200; an interface 202; a read-onlymemory (ROM) 203 such as an electrically erasable programmable read onlymemory (EEPROM or E²PROM); a RAM 205; a display 206; a keypad 207; oneor more speakers 208; a clock oscillator 209; an optional pulse monitor210; and an optional input/output (I/O) port 211. Interface 202 controlsthe transfer of data over the network and may comprise, for example, amodem or a LAN controller and a LAN driver. ROM 203 stores a controlprogram for the stationary bicycle executable by processor 201 and mayalso contain various pre-stored selectable exercise programs forcontrolling stationary bicycle 200. Display and keypad panel 220 (seeFIG. 4) may include a port 219 (see FIG. 4) which is adapted to receivea portable memory module 212. Portable memory module 212 may be utilizedfor transferring data to/from ROM 203. Portable memory module 212 mayalternatively or additionally store exercise data including exerciseprograms and/or program parameters (e.g., total exercise time,difficulty level) usable by processor 201 to control stationary bicycle200 as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,869, which is incorporatedherein by reference. Portable memory module 212 may comprise anyconvenient portable magnetic or semiconductor memory modules such asE²PROMs, EPROMs, floppy disks, or cards having magnetic strips.So-called “smart cards” including both a memory and a microprocessor mayalso be used. Portable memory module 212 should mate with the controlsystem of stationary bicycle 200 so that processor 201 can read/writedata from/to the portable memory module.

Processor 201 generates control signals supplied over line 34 forcontrolling the exercise level of stationary bicycle 200 in accordancewith an exercise program selected from ROM 203 (or from a portablememory module, if provided, as mentioned above) and correspondingexercise program parameters (e.g., total exercise time, difficultylevel). If desired, exercise programs for one or more of the exerciseapparatus terminals in the exercise terminal network may be stored inthe memory of central computer 102. In this case, exercise programs arealso selectable from the memory of central computer 102. RAM 205 may beutilized for temporary storage by processor 201. Display 206 includes,for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), light emitting diodes (LEDs)and/or liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and is responsive to signals fromprocessor 201 for displaying various information to the exerciserincluding, but not limited to, the elapsed exercise time, the exerciselevel, the difficulty level, number of calories burned, pulse rate, andthe like as is known in the art. Keypad 207 includes exerciser-operablekeys for inputting various data as will be discussed below. Speaker 208is responsive to processor 201 for providing audible sounds to theexerciser to indicate, for example, the end of an exercise program or aninvalid key press. Clock oscillator 209 provides clocking signals toprocessor 201 which are used for timing purposes as is well known in theart. These clocking signals may also be utilized by a real time clockalgorithm of processor 201 for generating current real time. Pulsemonitor 210 may be coupled to processor 201 in order that processor 201may monitor an exerciser's pulse rate during exercise and provide adisplay of the monitored pulse rate on display 206. Pulse monitor 210,for example, may be of the wired type having a sensor at a first endwhich is attached to the exerciser (such as at the ear, wrist, chest,finger, or head) and having a plug at the second end which is pluggedinto an input jack (not shown) of display and keypad panel 220.Alternatively, pulse monitor 210 may be of the wireless type which isattached to the exerciser and which includes a wireless transmitter fortransmitting signals indicative of the exerciser's pulse rate to awireless receiver (not shown) mounted on display and keypad panel 220.Of course, any type of pulse monitor may be used and the presentinvention is not limited in this respect. I/O port 211 may be used forinputting/outputting data to/from the control system of stationarybicycle 200. For example, I/O port 211 maybe used to connect the controlsystem to an external device including a processor (such as a personalcomputer) for changing and/or reading the contents of ROM 203. I/O port211 also may be used to couple stationary bicycle 200 to a television.Display 206 and keypad 207 are arranged on display and keypad panel 220and are described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7.Other input devices (shown generally as 213 in FIG. 5) may also beprovided. For example, a bar code or magnetic strip reader may beprovided in implementations in which an exerciser is provided with acard having his/her exerciser identifier encoded using a bar code or amagnetic strip.

An exercise program is executable by processor 201 for controllingstationary bicycle 200. FIG. 6 is a graphical profile of exercise levelversus time for an illustrative, but non-limiting, exercise programwhich may be utilized by processor 201 to control the exercise level ofstationary bicycle 200 (or some other exercise apparatus terminal. Asillustrated in the profile of FIG. 6, from exercise time t₀ untilexercise time t₇, processor 201 generates control signals for settingthe exercise level of stationary bicycle 200 to exercise level E1; fromexercise time t₇ to until exercise time t₁₉, processor 201 generatescontrol signals for setting the exercise level of stationary bicycle 200to exercise level E2; from exercise time t₁₉ until exercise time t₂₆,processor 201 generates control signals for setting the exercise levelof stationary bicycle 200 to exercise level E3; from exercise time t₂₆until exercise time t₃₈, processor 201 generates control signals forsetting the exercise level of stationary bicycle 200 to exercise levelE2; and from exercise time t₃₈ until exercise time t₄₈ (the end of theprogram), processor 201 generates control signals for setting theexercise level of stationary bicycle 200 to exercise level E1. When aprogram having the profile of FIG. 6 is selected, a total exercise timeover which processor 201 will control stationary bicycle 200 may also beselected. The selection of the total exercise time determines the timeinterval between the exercise times t₀ and t₁, t₁ and t₂, etc. Forexample, when an exercise program having the profile of FIG. 6 isselected, a total exercise time of four, eight, twelve, sixteen, ortwenty minutes may be selected. Depending on which total exercise timeis selected, the time interval between the exercise times is five, ten,fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five seconds, respectively. A difficultylevel which determines the difficulty of the exercise at the exerciselevels of the program may also be selected. The difficulty of exerciselevels E1, E2, and E3 is generally less at low difficulty levels than athigh difficulty levels. Thus, for example, as the fitness level of anexerciser increases, higher difficulty levels may be utilized. It ispossible for an exercise program to have more than one difficulty levelassociated therewith. For example, the difficulty of a treadmill may bechanged by changing either one or both of the tread speed and theincline angle.

The exercise apparatus terminal, portable memory module, and/or centralcomputer preferably store a plurality of exercise programs. Theseexercise programs may define exercises which range from “easy” to“hard”. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 6, an exercise programdefines exercise level as a function of time. A first exercise programdefining a greater area under the exercise level curve (i.e., theintegral of the exercise level from the start time of the exercise untilthe end time of the exercise) than a second exercise program generallymay be viewed as being a “harder” exercise program than the secondexercise program. Also, an exercise program executed at a higherdifficulty level generally may be viewed as being “harder” than the sameexercise program executed at a lower difficulty level. Further, anexercise program which includes one or more peaks of very high exerciselevels may be viewed as being “hard”, even when compared to anotherexercise program which defines a greater area under its exercise levelcurve. It will thus be appreciated features such as these or still otherfeatures may be viewed as making one exercise program “harder” or“easier” than another.

Of course, the exercise program of FIG. 6 is for illustrative purposes,and the present invention is not limited to any particular type ofexercise program. For example, an exercise program may be of a typewhich, in addition to varying exercise level as a function of time,provides interactivity via a visual display such as a television ordisplay 206 of the exercise apparatus terminal. For example, theexecution of such a program may cause processor 201 to monitor theactivity level of the exerciser (e.g., how fast the exerciser ispedaling) via the SENSOR line shown in FIG. 5 and to output data basedon this sensed activity level via I/O port 211 to an output device suchas a television or to display 206 to thereby simulate a competitionbetween the exerciser and a computer-generated opponent or opponents.Thus, an exercise program for a stationary bicycle may generate abicycle race between the exerciser and a computer-generated opponent.The “ability” of the opponent and the duration of the race may be set inaccordance with the fitness level of the exerciser. In a case wherestationary bicycle 200 includes a graphics display controller (notshown) and a modulator (not shown) for outputting a signal on channel3/4, for example, I/O port 211 may be directly connected to thetelevision. Alternatively, information may be supplied from I/O port 211to an I/O port of a suitably configured CATV subscriber terminal havinga graphics display controller and a modulator to thereby generate adisplay on a television.

In a first exercise selection mode for an exercise apparatus terminal,an exerciser may select an exercise program, a total exercise time,and/or a difficulty level in a conventional manner. In a second exerciseselection mode for an exercise apparatus terminal to be described ingreater detail below, an exerciser inputs an exerciser identifier intothe exercise apparatus terminal using a keypad and/or some other inputdevice. The processor of the exercise apparatus terminal supplies theinput exerciser identifier to central computer 102 in order to accessthe exercise database and retrieve pre-selected exercise data or inorder to generate exercise data. The exercise data for use of anexercise apparatus terminal such as a stationary bicycle may include,but is not limited to, an exercise program identifier, an exercise time,and difficulty level. The exercise program identifier may be used by theprocessor of the exercise apparatus terminal to access an exerciseprogram stored in a ROM, a portable memory module, or the memory ofcentral computer 102. The processor then executes the selected programin accordance with the corresponding exercise time and/or difficultylevel.

FIG. 7 illustrates display 206 and keypad 207 arranged on display andkeypad panel 220 of stationary bicycle 200. Display 206 includes variousdisplay portions 301-305. During the first exercise selection mode, anexerciser may be prompted to enter a total exercise time for an exerciseprogram. For example, display portion 301 may display a flashing colon“:” and a time indicator 311 may be illuminated to prompt the exerciserto enter the total exercise time. In addition, during the first exerciseselection mode, the exerciser may be prompted to enter a difficultylevel for the exercise program. For example, display portion 302 maydisplay a flashing “L” and a difficulty level indicator 312 may beilluminated to prompt the exerciser to enter the difficulty level.During the second exercise selection mode, display portion 301 displaysthe total exercise time of the pre-selected or generated exercise data,display portion 302 displays the difficulty level of the pre-selected orgenerated exercise data, and time indicator 311 and difficulty levelindicator 312 are illuminated. During exercise, display portion 301displays the elapsed exercise time while display portion 302 alternatelydisplays at a predetermined interval (e.g., five or ten seconds) thecurrent difficulty level of the exercise program and the number ofcalories burned. Difficulty level indicator 312 and a calories burnedindicator 313 are appropriately illuminated to indicate which quantityis displayed by display portion 302 during the execution of the exerciseprogram. Time indicator 311, difficulty level indicator 312, andcalories burned indicator 313 may be, for example, LEDs. Display portion303 is a display portion such as an LED display screen, a liquid crystaldisplay screen or a CRT screen for displaying video, textual and/orgraphical information to an exerciser. For example, display portion 303may display program names and descriptions; operating instructions;graphical profiles of exercise level versus time for the exerciseprogram such as is shown, for example, in FIG. 6; and prompts such asthe prompts regarding the next exercise terminal to be used as describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. Display portion 304 providesa display relating to how fast an exerciser should be pedalingstationary bicycle 200 at a current difficulty level and display portion305 provides a display relating to how fast an exerciser is actuallypedaling. Displays of other information may also be provided, ifdesired. For example, if a pulse monitor 210 is coupled to processor201, a display portion may be provided for displaying the currentlymonitored pulse or it may be displayed on display portion 303. Ofcourse, it will be appreciated that the displays of stationary bicyclesand other exercise apparatus may be varied in accordance with theapparatus and with the information which it is desired to display andthe present invention is not limited in this respect. For example,display 206 may be a single LED display screen, liquid crystal displayscreen or CRT screen which displays all of the information describedabove and any other desired information.

Keypad 207 includes a numeric keyboard portion 330 having numeric keys0-9; a START key 332; a NEXT key 336; a PREV (previous) key 338; aCLEAR/STOP key 340; and a PROFILE key 342. A TIME/DATE key 344 may alsobe provided. When TIME/DATE key 344 is pressed, the current time anddate as maintained by control computer 102 or by the real time clockalgorithm of the stationary bicycle are displayed on display portion303. Alternatively, the time and date may be displayed as part of thedisplay on display portion 303 whenever the stationary bicycle is used.PROFILE key 342 may be used to initiate a routine for entering exerciserprofile data as will be described in greater detail below.

As noted above, exercise station terminals 104 b are preferablypositioned at locations (“or stations”) where exercise is performedwithout the use of an exercise apparatus controlled by controlcircuitry, e.g., free weights, stretching, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups,etc. These exercise station terminals function to provide instructionsand feedback to exercisers performing exercise and include an inputdevice such as a keypad, a bar code reader, and/or a magnetic stripreader, a display device such as an LCD screen, an LED screen and/or aCRT screen; one or more speakers; and a control unit such as aprocessor. An exerciser inputs his/her exerciser identifier into theexercise station terminal using the input device. The processor of theexercise station terminal supplies the input exerciser identifier tocentral computer 102 in order to access the exercise database of centralcomputer 102 and retrieve pre-selected exercise data or in order togenerate exercise data, which exercise data is communicated to theexerciser using the display device and/or the speaker. For example, theexercise data could instruct the exerciser to perform a certain numberof pull-ups or sit-ups or lift a certain weight some number of times orperform stretching or some other exercise for some period of time. Inthe case of a timed exercise, a timer of the exercise station terminal(implemented using the processor and a clock oscillator, for example)may be set to provide the exerciser with a visual and/or auralindication of elapsed exercise time, remaining exercise time, and/or endof exercise time. When the exerciser completes the exercise associatedwith the exercise station, exercise station terminal 104 b may alsoprovide a visual and/or aural prompt as to which exercise terminalshould be used next by the exerciser. Of course, one exercise stationterminal may be positioned at a location where more than one exercise isperformed. That is, one exercise station terminal may be positioned nearan exercise mat which is used for stretching, push-ups, sit-ups, etc.and may provide instructions and/or feedback regarding these variousexercises. Thus, when a particular exercise is completed, the exercisestation terminal may prompt the exerciser to perform another exercise atthat same location, i.e., stretching may be followed by sit-ups.

FIG. 8A is a block schematic diagram illustrating one of exercisestation terminals 104 b. Exercise station terminal 104 b includes aprocessor 261 such as a microprocessor for controlling the operation ofexercise station terminal 104 b; an interface 262; a ROM 263 such as anE²PROM; a RAM 265; a display 266; a keypad 267; a speaker(s) 268; aclock oscillator 269; an optional pulse monitor 270; an optionalinput/output (I/O) port 271; and a power supply 272. Interface 262controls the exchange of data over the network and may comprise, forexample, a modem or a LAN controller and a LAN driver. ROM 263 stores acontrol program of the exercise station terminal executable by processor261 and stores other data. RAM 265 is usable by processor 261 fortemporary storage. Display 266 such as an LCD screen, an LED screen,and/or a CRT screen is used for displaying instructions or feedback toan exerciser. Keypad 267 is usable by an exerciser for inputting datasuch as exerciser identifiers into the exercise station terminal. Otherinput devices (not shown) such as a bar code reader or a magnetic stripreader may also be provided. Speaker 268 is responsive to processor 261for providing audible sounds to the exerciser to indicate, for example,the end of an exercise or an invalid key press. Clock oscillator 269provides clocking signals to processor 261 which are used for timingpurposes as is well-known in the art. These clocking signals may also beused by timer routines for timing exercise activities as described aboveor by a real time clock algorithm of processor 261 for generating acurrent real time. Pulse monitor 270 may be coupled to processor 261 inorder that processor 261 may monitor an exerciser's pulse rate duringexercise and provide a display of the monitored pulse rate on display266, for example. I/O port 271 may be used for inputting/outputting datato/from the exercise station terminal, e.g., to/from ROM 263 or to adisplay device such as a television. Power supply 272 supplies anoperating voltage for the operation of the exercise station terminal.The operating voltage may be derived from a battery or from an AC poweroutlet.

FIG. 8B illustrates a display and keypad panel 292 usable for theexercise station terminal. The panel includes a keypad 293 similar tothe keypad described above with respect to FIG. 7 and a discussionthereof is omitted here. The panel further includes a display portion280 which may be an LCD screen, an LED screen, or a CRT screen. Displayportion 280 is used for displaying instructions or feedback to anexerciser. It will be appreciated that other arrangements of keypadsand/or display portions may be utilized and the present invention is notlimited in this respect.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exerciser data input terminal 104 cusable in the exercise terminal network of the present invention.Terminal 104 c includes an exerciser data input device 400 for inputtingexerciser data. Suitable input devices include, but are not limited to,a scale, a blood pressure device, a pulse rate monitor, a thermometer,and the like. An interface 402 controls the transfer of data to/frominput device 400 over the network. Such an interface may be a modem, aLAN controller and LAN driver, and the like. A power supply 404 suppliesan operating voltage for the operation of the exercise data inputterminal. The operating voltage may be derived from a battery or from anAC power outlet.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of central computer 102. Central computer 102may, for example, be an IBM® PC-compatible personal computer. It shouldbe understood that central computer 102 is not limited to any particulartype or brand of computer, and thus contemplates microcomputers tosupercomputers. Central computer 102 includes a central processing unit(CPU) 501 such as an IBM® PC-compatible CPU which is plugged into bus503. The system control program is loaded into memory (RAM) 505 duringoperation. Memory 507 stores data which is accessible by CPU 501. Memory507 can be any standard memory device or combination of memory devicessuch as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, or anoptical memory such as a CD-ROM. Central computer 102 further includesinput devices, generally shown as 508, such as a keyboard, a mouse, atouchpad, a touchscreen, a scanner, or any compatible or equivalentdevice. A visual display device 511 such as a CRT is provided. Otheroutput devices may include a printer 517, speakers, etc. A ROM 513 maystore certain programs (e.g., a BIOS) and configuration parameters forcentral computer 102. ROM 513 may be an E²PROM, for example, to allowfor the updating of this information. The system control program and thedatabase of exercise network 100 may be stored in memory 507. Interface515 such a network control card or modem controls the transfer ofinformation over the network.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate various database portions which togetherconstitute the exercise database for exercise terminal network 100. Thedatabase portions are stored in memory 507 (e.g., a semiconductor memorysuch as an E²PROM, a magnetic memory such as a hard drive or a floppydisk, or an optical memory such as a CD-ROM) of central computer 102 ofexercise terminal network 100. Of course, the organization of data shownin FIGS. 11A-11D is for exemplary purposes only and the presentinvention is not limited in this respect.

FIG. 11A shows an exerciser database portion which is organized byexerciser identifier and stores exerciser data relating to theexercisers using exercise terminal network 100. Specifically, theexerciser database portion includes, but is not limited to, some or allof the following data for each exerciser: a unique exerciser identifiersuch as an exerciser identifier number; the name, postal address (e.g.,number, street, city, state, and zip/postal code), and telephonenumber(s) (e.g., home, work, and/or facsimile) of the exerciser; theelectronic mail (e-mail) address of the exerciser; messages for theexerciser from, for example, the system administrator or the exerciser'sfitness consultant; profile data regarding the exerciser and theexerciser's goals which will be used in the selection of exercise data;future exercise data; and previous exercise data. It will be appreciatedthat each data item which is identified as being stored in the exerciserdatabase portion and the other database portions which constitute theexercise database may comprise one or more data fields or one or moredata tables. For example, the “name” stored in the database portion ofFIG. 11A may comprise a first name field, a last name field, a middleinitial field, etc. Generally, the data in the database portion of FIG.11A would be collected during a meeting or meetings with a fitnessconsultant.

The profile data may include the exerciser's height, weight, age, and anindication of current fitness level. The fitness level may be determinedby having the exerciser perform some exercise while certainphysiological parameters such as heart rate and/or blood pressure aremonitored. In this way, some general determination may be made as towhat exercise data should be selected for the initial workouts of theexerciser. The exerciser may also be asked whether he/she has anyspecific exercise goals. In this way, exercise data may be selected toassist the exerciser in achieving these goals. For example, an exercisermay be interested in achieving a goal of weight loss or cardiovascularfitness. Based on one or both of these goals and the exerciser's age,the proper range for the pulse rate of the exerciser during exercise maybe determined by the system control program of central computer 102 orthe fitness consultant. Specifically, the exerciser's maximum heart ratemay determined by subtracting the exerciser's age from 220. From this,the appropriate pulse rate during exercise maybe determined as betweenabout 65% and about 75% of the maximum pulse rate for fat loss andbetween about 75% and about 90% for cardiovascular fitness.Alternatively, a range in which the exerciser's pulse rate should bemaintained during exercise may be directly entered into the exerciseprofile. Such a pulse rate range may, for example, be determined by aphysician. The profile may also include other fitness goals of anexerciser, e.g., training to run a ten kilometer race, a marathon,weight training cycling, tennis, golf, skiing, etc. If the exerciser istraining for an event such as a race on a particular date, this eventdate may also be entered. The system control program of central computer102 and/or the fitness consultant may utilize this information in orderto factor such desired fitness goals into the selection of the exercisedata. That is, the system control program and/or the fitness consultantmay select exercise data best suited to assist the exerciser inachieving his/her goal by a particular date. Dates for achieving othergoals such as weight loss may be included in the profile. For example,an exerciser may indicate a goal to lose ten pounds over a three monthperiod (about one pound a week). The system control program and/or afitness consultant can then select exercise data to assist the exerciserin losing the ten pounds over the three month period. By monitoring theexerciser's weight throughout the three month period using an exerciserdata input terminal 104 c, the system control program and/or fitnessconsultant can, for example, select harder or longer exercises if theexerciser is not making sufficient progress toward the weight loss goal.

The profile data may also include an indication of how many calories anexerciser desires to expend during a typical workout. The system controlprogram and/or a fitness consultant can then select exercise data whichis designed to cause the exerciser to expend the desired number ofcalories.

The profile data of an exerciser may be periodically updated using anappropriate exercise data input terminal, an exercise apparatusterminal, an exercise station terminal, or a computer within or linkedto the network. For example, the exerciser's weight may be periodicallyentered into the database to permit the exerciser to determine how theworkouts are affecting weight loss if weight loss is a desired goal.Similarly, the exerciser's resting and training pulse rate and restingand training blood pressure may be periodically entered into thedatabase to provide a further indication of how the workouts areimpacting on the exerciser's fitness. In addition, the particularfitness goals of the exerciser (e.g., a ten kilometer race, marathon,etc.) may be periodically updated. In general, the profile data of anexerciser may include any information which it is desired to utilize inthe selection of exercise data.

The future exercise data determines workouts for an exerciser. Eachexercise in a workout may include, but is not limited to, some or all ofthe following data: a sequence number, an exercise identifier; anexercise terminal type identifier identifying the type of exerciseterminal at which the exercise is performed; and exercise parameters(such as total exercise time, difficulty level(s), etc.) for settingparameters of the exercise. As will be described in greater detailbelow, the future exercise data may be pre-selected by the systemcontrol program and/or a fitness consultant or may be dynamicallygenerated or varied by the system control program.

The previous exercise data is a record of the workout activities of anexerciser and may include, but is not limited to, some or all of thefollowing data: exercise terminal used; exercise performed; initialdifficulty level; initial total exercise time; final difficulty level;final total exercise time; certain physiological data such as pulse rateat one or more times during exercise; a flag indicating whether theexercise was completed; and an indication of the exerciser's feelingsabout the exercise (e.g., “1”=too hard, “2”=too easy, “3”=about right).

The database portion of FIG. 11B is an exercise terminal databaseportion which is organized by exercise terminal identifier (or address)and contains data regarding the exercise terminals in exercise terminalnetwork 100. For example, for each exercise terminal in exercise network100, the exercise terminal database portion may include, but is notlimited to, some or all of the following data: an exercise terminalidentifier (or address); exercise terminal type data; exercise terminalpurchase data; exercise terminal use data; exercise terminal locationdata; exercise terminal maintenance data; and exercise terminalmanufacturer data. The exercise terminal type data may include exerciseterminal type identifiers for identifying an exercise terminal as astepper, a stationary bicycle, a station for stretching, a station forpull-ups, a data input terminal for weight, etc. The exercise terminalpurchase data may include, but is not limited to, terminal owner data,the terminal purchase date, and the terminal price. The exerciseterminal maintenance data may include, but is not limited to, dataregarding previous maintenance checks (maintenance check dates,maintenance tests performed, problems fixed, etc.) and a schedule forfuture maintenance checks. The exercise terminal use data may include,but is not limited to, a count of the number of times the terminal hasbeen used. Such terminal use data can provide valuable information tohealth club operators as to which exercise terminals are popular withexercisers and which are not. The use data may also be utilized in thedetermination, either automatically by the system control program or bythe system administrator, of a schedule for future maintenance checks.The exercise terminal location data may include, but is not limited to,a postal address of the building in which the terminal is located anddata identifying the location of the terminal within a particularbuilding. This latter data is used to provide the location informationprovided to an exerciser regarding the next exercise terminal to be usedas described below with respect to FIGS. 13A and 13B. The location datacan include text string data such as “by the back wall” or “next to thefree weights”. The location data can also include data used ingenerating video, animated, and/or graphical displays indicating thelocation of the exercise terminal relative to other exercise terminalsand/or features at a particular location. The terminal manufacturer datamay include, but is not limited to, terminal model data (model name,model number, etc.), manufacturer name, manufacturer postal address,manufacturer telephone number, manufacturer facsimile number, warrantyinformation, etc.

The database portion of FIG. 11C is an exercise database portionorganized by exercise identifier for identifying exercises. “Exercise”may refer to an exercise program which is executable by a processor ofan exercise apparatus terminal, in which case the exercise identifier isan exercise program identifier for indenting an exercise program.“Exercise” may also refer to an exercise which is performed without theuse of an exercise apparatus controlled by a processor. In this case,the exercise identifier identifies an exercise such as stretching,pull-ups, etc. Thus, for example, a first exercise identifier mayidentify the exercise program of FIG. 6, a second exercise identifiermay identify sit-ups, etc. For each exercise, this database portion mayinclude, but is not limited to, some or all of the following data: anexercise identifier; an exercise type identifier, an exercisedescription; program profile data for generating a graphical display ofexercise level versus time such as that shown in FIG. 6, if appropriate;and program parameters. The exercise type identifier identifies theexercise as an exercise program executable by a processor or an exerciseto be performed at an exercise station terminal (i.e., an exerciseperformed without the use of an exercise apparatus under the control ofcontrol circuitry). The exercise description may include a textualdescription of the exercise (e.g., sit-ups). In some cases, the exercisedescription may include data for generating a video, graphical and/oranimated display (along with accompanying audio, if desired) regardingthe exercise. This display and accompanying audio may be communicated tothe exerciser using the display and speakers of the exercise terminal.The display and audio may indicate the proper way of performing theparticular exercise, the muscles or muscle groups worked during theexercise, etc. The audio and video may be presented to the exerciser inresponse to a particular key press, for example. The profile data may beused to generate a graphical display of exercise level versus time whichmay be used by a fitness consultant or the exerciser in the selection ofexercises. The parameters define the parameters which are used for theexercise. For example, the parameters for the exercise “sit-ups” mayinclude a number parameter for the number of sit-ups and a timeparameter for the time within which the sit-ups should be completed. Theparameters for an exercise program executable by a stationary bicyclemay include a total exercise time parameter and a difficulty levelparameter.

The database portion of FIG. 11D determines which exercises can beperformed at each exercise terminal type. Thus, the database portion ofFIG. 11D relates exercise identifiers and exercise terminal typeidentifiers. It is possible for two exercises (e.g., sit-ups andstretching) to be associated with the same exercise terminal type. It isalso possible for one exercise (such as the exercise program of FIG. 6)to be associated with more than one exercise terminal type (e.g.,steppers of different manufacturers or a stepper and a stationarybicycle).

In a first implementation of the present invention to be describedbelow, exercise data for a workout is pre-selected for an exerciser andstored in the exercise database as the future exercise data. Thispre-selection of exercise data for a workout may be performed by, forexample, an exercise selection routine of the system control program ofcentral computer 102, a fitness consultant, or even the exerciserhimself/herself. A workout comprises one or more exercises to beperformed by an exerciser. In general, the exercise data for eachexercise includes, for example, a sequence number, an exerciseidentifier; an exercise terminal type identifier identifying the type ofexercise terminal at which the exercise is performed; and exerciseparameters for the exercise (e.g., a total exercise time, a difficultylevel, a number of repetitions, and the like). As will be described ingreater detail below, the system control program of the presentinvention uses the sequence numbers associated with exercises to guidean exerciser through a workout by providing, for example, aural and/orvisual prompts which inform the exerciser which exercise terminal typeor which specific exercise terminal should be used next in the workout.

In a second implementation of the present invention, exercise data for aworkout is at least partly based on one or more factors which areevaluated during a workout, such as an exerciser's performance duringone or more exercises in the current workout; the availability orunavailability of certain exercise terminals for use by the exerciser;an indication by an exerciser as to certain physical limitations (e.g.,the exerciser has a sore shoulder and cannot perform certain weightfiling exercises); an indication by an exerciser as to certain timelimitations (e.g, the exerciser has only 45 minutes to complete theworkout); the burning of a particular number of calories; and the like.Using such factors, the system control program can dynamically determinea workout for an exerciser or can modify a pre-selected workout for anexerciser.

A description of the first implementation will now be described withreference to the workout for a particular exerciser defined by theexercise data of FIG. 12. The exercise data of FIG. 12 defines a workoutin which an exerciser performs three exercises: stretching, pedaling astationary bicycle, and using a stepper. As can be seen, each exerciseis defined by a sequence number, an exercise identifier; an exerciseterminal type identifier identifying the type of exercise terminal atwhich the exercise is performed; and exercise parameters for theexercise. The sequence number includes a workout sequence portion and anexercise sequence portion. The workout sequence portion identifies aparticular workout and the exercise sequence portion identifies aparticular exercise within the workout. For example, the stretchingexercise of FIG. 12 is designated by a workout sequence number of 1-1which indicates that stretching is the first exercise of workout number1. The stationary bicycle exercise is designated by a workout sequencenumber of 1-2 which indicates that the stationary bicycle is the secondexercise of workout number 1. Finally, the stepper exercise isdesignated by a workout sequence number of 1-3 which indicates that thestepper is the third exercise of workout number 1. The exerciseidentifier identifies one of the exercises in the database portion ofFIG. 11C. The exercise terminal type identifier identifies the type ofexercise terminal at which the exercise is performed (e.g., a stretchingstation terminal, a stationary bicycle, a stepper). The exerciseparameters may include parameters such as total exercise time,difficulty level(s), number of repetitions, etc. With specific referenceto the exercise data of FIG. 12, the first exercise, stretching, isdefined by a workout sequence number of 1-1; an exercise identifier of01 (which will be assumed to identify “stretching” as the exercise); anexercise terminal type identifier of 01 (which will be assumed toidentify an exercise terminal for stretching exercises as the exerciseterminal to be used); and a time parameter of 5:00 minutes which defineshow long the exerciser should stretch. The second exercise, pedaling astationary bicycle, is defined by a workout sequence number of 1-2; anexercise identifier of 02 (which will be assumed to identify an exerciseprogram stored in ROM 203 of the stationary bicycle which is executableby processor 201); an exercise terminal type identifier of 02 (whichwill be assumed to identify a stationary bicycle); a total exercise timeparameter of 12 minutes; and a difficulty level parameter of 8. Thethird exercise, using a stepper, is defined by a workout sequence number1-3; an exercise identifier 03 (which will be assumed to identify anexercise program stored in the ROM of the stepper which is executable bythe processor of the stepper); an exercise terminal type identifier of07 (which will be assumed to identify a stepper); a total exercise timeparameter of 8 minutes; and a difficulty level parameter of 9. At theend of each exercise in the workout, the system control program uses theworkout sequence number to determine the next exercise in the workout.The system control program then uses the exercise terminal typeidentifier associated with this next exercise to prompt the exerciser asto which exercise terminal should be used next in the workout. Forexample, at the end of stretching, the system control program determinesthat the next exercise uses a stationary bicycle. Similarly, at the endof the exercise using the stationary bicycle, the system control programdetermines that the next exercise uses a stepper. Finally, at the end ofthe exercise using a stepper (the last exercise in workout sequencenumber 1), the system control program determines that the workout isover. If desired, the exercise data of FIG. 12 may be modified toinclude an exercise terminal identifier whereby a specific exerciseterminal (e.g., a specific stationary bicycle or a specific stepper) isidentified for use by the exerciser.

To begin the workout, the exerciser enters his/her exerciser identifierat the exercise station terminal for stretching using, for example, anumeric keypad of the exercise station terminal. Processor 261 uses theentered exerciser identifier to retrieve the appropriate pre-selectedexercise data for the exerciser from the exercise database which, inthis case, is the exercise identifier for stretching and the totalexercise (stretching) time of 5:00 minutes. The exerciser is providedwith a prompt which indicates the exercise (stretching) and the totalexercise time. If the total exercise time is acceptable to theexerciser, he/she may begin to exercise. The exerciser may, if desired,change the total exercise time. A video, graphical and/or animateddisplay suitable for the total exercise time may be provided for theexerciser to follow. When the total exercise time has elapsed, theexercise database is updated with any desired exercise data (such asexercise time, pulse rate at one or more times during the exercise,etc.) and the exerciser is provided with an aural and/or visual promptregarding the next exercise terminal to be used based on the nextexercise in the workout as determined with reference to the exercisesequence number. In this case, the exerciser is provided with an auraland/or visual prompt which identifies a stationary bicycle such asstationary bicycle 200 as the next exercise terminal to be used. Theprompt may be provided in the manner described below with reference toFIGS. 13A and 13B. The exerciser then proceeds to the stationary bicycleand enters his/her exerciser identifier using, for example, the numerickeypad. Processor 201 uses the entered exerciser identifier to retrieveexercise data from the exercise database. In this case, the retrievedexercise data includes the exercise identifier 02, a total exercise timeparameter of 12:00 minutes, and a difficulty level parameter of 8. Theexercise identifier 02 identifies an exercise program which isexecutable by the processor of the stationary bicycle. If the exerciseprogram corresponding to the retrieved exercise identifier, the totalexercise time, and the difficulty level are acceptable to the exerciser,he/she may begin to exercise. The exerciser may, if desired, change oneor more of these exercise data items. Upon completing the exercise, theexercise database is updated with any desired exercise data regardingthe exercise and the stationary bicycle prompts the exerciser using thedisplay and/or the speaker(s) that the stepper is the next exerciseterminal to be used in the workout. This prompt may be provided in themanner described below with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. Theexerciser then proceeds to the stepper and enters his/her exerciseridentifier using, for example, the numeric keypad. Processor 201 usesthe entered exerciser identifier to retrieve exercise data from theexercise database. In this case, the retrieved exercise data includes anexercise identifier 03, a total exercise time parameter of 8:00 minutes,and a difficulty level parameter of 9. The exercise identifier 03identifies an exercise program which is executable by the processor ofthe stepper. If the program corresponding to the retrieved exerciseidentifier, the total exercise time, and the difficulty level areacceptable to the exerciser, he/she may begin to exercise. The exercisermay, if desired, change one or more of these exercise data items. Uponcompleting the exercise, the exercise database is updated with anydesired exercise data regarding this exercise and the exerciser isvisually and/or aurally prompted that the workout is over. The promptmay, for example, be “Congratulations! Your workout is over.” The promptmay also include workout summary information such as exercisesperformed, total calories burned during the workout, and the like. Ifdesired, the exerciser may (by using the keypad of the last exerciseterminal used in the workout, for example) cause a print-out to beprinted by printer 517 which identifies the exercises performed duringthe workout, the total number of calories burned, pulse rate during theexercises, etc.

In the second implementation, the exerciser begins the workout at anexercise terminal for stretching in order to warm-up. The exerciserenters his/her exerciser identifier using, for example, a numeric keypadof the exercise terminal. The system control program then uses theentered exercise identifier to access the exercise database and evaluatefactors such as the previous exercise data of the exerciser, when theexerciser last exercised; and/or any other desirable factors in order todetermine the parameters for exercise at the current terminal. Forexample, the system control program may determine that the exercisershould perform five minutes of stretching as a warm up. At the end ofthe five minutes of stretching, the system control program thendetermines a next exercise to be performed by the exerciser. Theexercise is defined in the same manner as the exercises of FIG. 12.Specifically, the system control program generates and stores in theexercise database an appropriate workout sequence number, an exerciseidentifier, an exercise terminal type identifier, and exerciseparameters. The exerciser is provided with an aural and/or visual promptas to the exercise terminal type at which this next exercise is to beperformed. Similar to the first implementation, an exercise terminalidentifier may be generated whereby a specific exercise terminal isidentified for use by the exerciser. In this case, assume the exerciseris prompted to use a treadmill. The exerciser then proceeds to atreadmill and enters his/her exerciser identifier using, for example, anumeric keypad. The control system of the treadmill accesses thegenerated exercise identifier, total exercise time, and difficultylevel(s) and displays these exercise data items to the exerciser. Ifthese exercise data items are acceptable to the exerciser, he/she maybegin exercise. If desired, the exerciser may modify one or more of theexercise data items prior to exercise. At the end of the exercise usingthe treadmill, the system control program determines what, if any,exercise should be performed next by the exerciser. This determinationmay be based on factors including a total number of calories burned, atotal predetermined time during which the exerciser's heart rate is azone appropriate for achieving a particular fitness goal, and the like.For example, if the exerciser is having difficulty with a currentexercise, the system control program may determine that the nextexercise is an easy exercise. The exerciser's difficulty with a currentexercise may be determined based on one or more of the following: theCLR/STOP key was used to prematurely end the current exercise; theexerciser has lowered the difficulty level during the current exercise;the exerciser indicates he/she found the current exercise too hard; andphysiological parameters (such as pulse rate) measured during thecurrent exercise indicate the exerciser is having difficulty.

Similarly, if the current exercise is too easy for an exerciser, thesystem control program may determine that the next exercise is a hardexercise. The ease of the current exercise may be determined based onone or more of the following: the exerciser increased the difficultylevel during the current exercise; the exerciser indicates he/she foundthe current exercise too easy, and physiological parameters (such aspulse rate) measured during the current exercise indicate the exerciseris not exercising at a high enough exercise level.

In these cases, the system control program can use this information todynamically select a next exercise as described above. Alternatively,this information can be used to vary the exercise data which waspre-selected by the system control program or a fitness consultant. Inthis way, for example, an exerciser can avoid overexertion or injurywhich might result from attempting to complete a workout which is beyondhis/her current fitness level. In addition, such a dynamic workoutdetermination or modification can avoid psychological effects whichmight be associated with failing to complete a workout. That is, if thesystem control program “eases up” or ends a workout based on anexerciser's performance on a given day, the exerciser can still have afeeling that he/she accomplished what he/she should have. This providesa positive feedback encouraging the exerciser to return for his/her nextworkout. In the case of making the next exercise a hard exercise, theexerciser who is finding a workout too easy is able to obtain thebenefits of a workout better suited for his/her fitness level.

Other factors may also be used in the dynamic determination of nextexercises or the varying of pre-selected exercise data. One such factoris the availability of exercise terminals. For example, if no steppersare currently available, the system control program can prompt theexerciser to use a terminal which is currently available. This avoidsthe “cooling down” (and frustration) of an exerciser who is waiting fora terminal of a particular type to be free.

Of course, it should be kept in mind that the system control program orfitness consultant may desire to provide “hard” and “easy” workouts foran exerciser. Thus, an exerciser's indication that he/she finds aparticular exercise to be too bard/too easy may not always be used as afactor in determining or varying the next exercise to be performed.However, for example, where an exerciser is clearly struggling (e.g.,the difficulty level is significantly lowered from an initial difficultylevel or an exercise is stopped after only a very short period of timeby pressing the CLR/STOP key), such factors may advantageously beconsidered in the determination or variation of a next exercise to beperformed.

As noted above, the exercise system provides an identification on thedisplay of an exercise terminal (e.g., on display portion 303 ofstationary bicycle 200 shown in FIG. 7 or display portion 280 of FIG.8B) which identifies for the exerciser the exercise terminal to be usednext in the workout. Such an identification may include a textualidentification such as “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: STEPPER”, “NEXT EXERCISETERMINAL: TREADMILL”, or “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: FREE WEIGHTS”. In ahealth club setting in which there are more than one exercise terminalof the same type, the textual identification provided on the display ofthe exercise terminal can, if desired, be more specific such as “NEXTEXERCISE TERMINAL: STEPPER #2”, “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: TREADMILL #3”,or “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: FREE WEIGHTS #2”. In such a health clubsetting, the exercise terminals may have tags or labels associatedtherewith which identify them by number. Of course, the exerciseterminals may have tags or labels with identifiers other than numbersand such other identifiers could be provided as part of the textualidentification on the display. The prompt may also include locationinformation regarding the location of the next exercise terminal toassist the exerciser in locating the terminal. For example, the promptcould be “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: STEPPER ALONG BACK WALL” or “NEXTEXERCISE TERMINAL: TREADMILL BY WINDOW”. The prompt could also be in thenature of “NEXT EXERCISE TERMINAL: STEPPER TO YOUR LEFT” or “NEXTEXERCISE TERMINAL: TREADMILL BEHIND YOU”. Of course, the presentinvention is not limited to the above-described examples of textualidentification. In general, the textual identification may be anyinformation which provides meaningful guidance to the exerciser withregard to the identification of an exercise terminal to be used next bythe exerciser and/or the location of an exercise terminal to be usednext by the exerciser.

The prompt may also include graphical information as shown in FIGS. 13Aand 13B. This prompt including graphical information may be displayed onthe display of the exercise terminal (e.g., display portion 303 ofstationary bicycle 200 shown in FIG. 7 or display portion 280 of FIG.8B). FIG. 13A is a prompt which includes a graphical representation ofthe exercise terminals at a location such as a health club in which aplurality of indicators (in this case, dots) are provided on the displayto identity the arrangement and locations of the exercise terminals atthe health club. For example, in FIG. 13A, indicators 301, 311, 312, and313 indicate “steppers”; indicator 314 indicates an exercise stationterminal for performing sit-ups; indicator 315 indicates an exercisestation for pull-ups; indicators 316 and 317 indicate treadmills; andindicators 303, 318, 319, and 320 indicate stationary bicycles. Thedisplay also indicates an entrance to the workout facility to provide anindication to the exerciser of the location of the next terminal to beused relative to a “fixed” feature of the facility. While an entrance isutilized as such a “fixed” feature in FIG. 13A, other features such as awindow or a pool may be utilized. In FIG. 13A, the indicators indicatingsteppers (i.e., indicators 301, 311, 312, and 313) are visuallydistinguished from the other indicators in order to indicate to theexerciser that the next exercise terminal to be used is a stepper. Theindicators may be distinguished by color, brightness, blinking, etc. Afirst textual identification portion 302 a of the next terminal to beused may be provided adjacent to the visually distinguished indicators301, 311, 312, and 313 and a second textual identification portion 302 bof the next terminal to be used may be provided at the bottom portion ofthe display. The display of FIG. 13A also provides the exerciser with anindication of the location of the exercise terminal currently beingused. Specifically, indicator 303 is visually distinguished from theother indicators by brightness, color, blinking, etc.) and a textualindication 304 (such as “YOU ARE HERE”) is provided adjacent toindicator 303. In this way, the relative location of the exerciseterminal currently being used and the next exercise terminal to be usedcan be provided to the exerciser. If desired, a path indication 331 maybe provided to guide the exerciser to the next terminal. Also, ifdesired, textual identifications corresponding to each indicator orgroup of indicators of the same terminal type may be provided, not justthe current terminal and the next terminal.

The display of FIG. 13A identifies the stepper as the next exerciseterminal to be used and the indicators for all of the steppers in thehealth club facility are visually distinguished from other indicators.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13B, a particular stepper of all thesteppers in the health club facility may be identified as the nextexercise terminal to be used by the exerciser. The identification of aparticular stepper may be made in order to identify a stepper which isnot currently being used or is being “reserved” for use by the exerciserwho has just finished using the stationary bicycle indicated byindicator 303.

It will be appreciated that although each exercise terminal is indicatedby a dot in FIG. 13A, the invention is not limited in this respect. Forexample, each exercise terminal may be indicated by an icon or someother graphical (including photographical), video, or animatedrepresentation. In this case, each exercise terminal type may have adifferent icon associated therewith. Video, photographic or animatedimages of the exercise terminals and/or the health club facility may beused to guide the exerciser through his/her workout. As with the textualinformation, the graphic display may be any graphic display whichprovides meaningful guidance to the exerciser with regard to theidentification of an exercise terminal to be used next by the exerciserand/or the location of an exercise terminal to be used next by theexerciser.

An operation of the exercise terminal network in accordance with thepresent invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts ofFIGS. 14A-14C. It will be assumed for purposes of this discussion thatthe exercise terminals to be used during the workout have keypads anddisplays such as those shown FIGS. 7 and 8B. To begin, the exerciserpresses START key 332 (ST 501). At this time, a count of a retry counterto be described below is set to one. At ST 502, the exerciser isprompted via a prompt on display portion 280 or 303 to enter anexerciser identifier such as a personal identification number (PIN). Theentered exerciser identifier is utilized to access the exercisedatabase. As described above, each exerciser using exercise terminalnetwork 100 is preferably assigned a unique exerciser identifier. In ahealth club setting, unique exerciser identifiers may, for example, beassigned to each exerciser by the health club operator. If the exerciseridentifier is a PIN, the exerciser may enter the exerciser identifierusing the numeric keys 0-9 on numeric keypad portion 293 or 330. Inalternative embodiments, exercise terminals in the network may beprovided with a bar code reader and the exercisers may be provided withexerciser identification cards which include a bar coded exerciseridentifier. The exerciser may, for example, swipe the identificationcard through the bar code reader to enter his/her exerciser identifier.Of course, other types of identification cards such as magnetic,optical, or semiconductor memory cards may be used in combination withappropriate readers operatively connected to the exercise terminal andthe invention is not limited in this respect.

The processor of the exercise terminal accesses the exercise database todetermine whether the entered exerciser identifier is in the exercisedatabase at ST 503. If the entered exerciser identifier is not in theexercise database, control passes to ST 504 and ST 505, where theexerciser is prompted via a prompt on display portion 280 or 303 tore-enter the exerciser identifier. A counter is incremented at ST 504each time the exerciser enters an exerciser identifier which is notfound in the exercise database at ST 503. If the count of the counter isgreater than a predetermined retry number n (such as three) at ST 505,the exerciser is prompted via the display portion and/or the speaker(s)at ST 514 that the entered exerciser identifier is not valid and thatthe system administrator should be contacted.

At ST 503, if the exerciser identifier is in the exercise database,control passes to ST 506 and exercise data is retrieved from theexercise database based on the entered exerciser identifier and theexercise terminal currently being used. Specifically, the processor ofthe exercise terminal uses the entered exerciser identifier and theexercise terminal identifier to access the exercise database to retrievethe appropriate exercise data. For example, in the case of an exerciseapparatus terminal such as stationary bicycle 200, the retrievedexercise data includes an exercise identifier identifying an exerciseprogram executable by the processor of the exercise apparatus terminalfor varying the exercise level of the stationary bicycle as a functionof time and any corresponding exercise parameters (for example, a totalexercise time and/or a difficulty level). The retrieved exerciseidentifier is used by the processor of the exercise apparatus terminalto access one of the exercise programs stored in the ROM of the exerciseapparatus terminal, for example. As noted above, the present inventionis not limited to the selection of exercise programs stored in the ROMof the exercise apparatus terminal and exercise programs stored in thememory of central computer 102 and/or in a portable memory module mayalso be accessed. The display of the exercise apparatus terminaldisplays to the exerciser information regarding the exercise programsuch as the program name and/or a graphical display of exercise levelversus time similar to that of FIG. 6, as well as any correspondingexercise parameters. In the case of an exercise station terminal, theretrieved exercise data may include an exercise identifier identifyingan exercise such as stretching, sit-ups, pull-ups, and the like, and anyassociated exercise parameters (for example, a number of repetitionsand/or a total exercise time). The display of the exercise stationterminal displays a text string identifying the exercise (e.g.,“stretching”, “pull-ups”, etc.) and the number of repetitions and/ortotal exercise time.

The exerciser may use these displays of the exercise terminals to verifythe exercise data prior to beginning the exercise. Of course, other datamay be displayed and the invention is not limited in this respect. Ifthe exercise data is acceptable to the exerciser at ST 507, theexerciser presses START key 332 to begin exercise ST 508. The exercisermay, if desired, change any of the retrieved exercise data at ST 509.

During exercise, the processor of the exercise terminal controls thedisplay to display relevant exercise data. In the case of an exerciseapparatus terminal, such exercise data may include the elapsed exercisetime, current difficulty level, desired activity level, actual activitylevel, and the like. An appropriately illuminated display of exerciselevel versus time to indicate an exercisers progress through theexercise program may also be provided. If a pulse monitor is used, thedisplay may also provide either a readout of the exerciser's pulse or agraphical display indicating whether the exerciser's pulse is in anappropriate target range for the exerciser. In the case of an exercisestation terminal for stretching, the display may provide an indicationof exercise time elapsed, exercise time remaining, and/or some graphicalindication of the progress of the exerciser.

The processor of the exercise terminal may monitor the exerciser's pulserate during exercise using a pulse monitor. For example, the processorof the exercise terminal may monitor the exerciser's pulse rate atregular predetermined intervals or at predetermined times duringexercise. The monitoring of the exerciser's pulse rate permits adetermination of whether the exerciser's pulse rate is generally withina range appropriate for achieving the exerciser's goals (e.g.,cardiovascular fitness or fat loss). At the end of the exercise when theelapsed time equals the total exercise time (ST 510) or if theCLEAR/STOP key 340 is pressed (ST 511), the processor of the exerciseterminal drives the display and/or speaker(s) to output a promptindicating the end of the program at ST 512 (see FIG. 14B). Theprocessor of the exercise terminal then causes the exercise database tobe updated to include an indication that the exercise was completed bythe exerciser. The exercise database may also be updated to indicatewhether the exerciser changed the pre-selected exercise data and, if so,the exercise data (e.g., exercise program, the total exercise time,and/or difficulty level) which was changed. The exercise database mayalso be updated to include data regarding the exerciser's pulse rateduring exercise. This pulse rate data may be the exerciser's actualpulse rate at various points during the exercise or some average pulserate over exercise time of the exercise. Further, the system may alsostore data regarding whether the exerciser changed the exerciseparameters of an exercise apparatus terminal during exercise. Theexercise terminal may also prompt the exerciser to enter an indicationof whether the exerciser felt the exercise was too hard, too easy, orabout right. The stopping of exercise prior to completion may also berecorded in the exercise database. It will be appreciated that not allof the above data needs to be stored and that this or other data may bestored for use by the control program and/or the fitness consultant inthe pre-selection of exercise data.

At ST 513, a determination is made whether the current exercise is thelast exercise in the current workout. If so, a prompt is provided to theexerciser at ST 514 indicating that the workout is over. If not, aprompt is provided to the exerciser at ST 515 indicating which exerciseterminal should be utilized next by the exerciser. Such a prompt wasdiscussed above with respect to FIGS. 13A and 13B and the accompanyingdescription.

FIG. 14C is a flow chart illustrating a process for updating theexercise database. The updating may be performed periodically. Forexample, the exerciser may be prompted to perform such an update afterthe last exercise of a workout. The updating of the exercise databasemay be accomplished using an input device and display device associatedwith the central computer or using a computer connected to the centralcomputer. The updating can also be performed using an input device(s)and display(s) of an exercise apparatus terminal or an exercise stationterminal. In the case of an exercise terminal, the updating process maybe started at ST 601 by pressing PROFILE key 342 on keypad 207. At thistime, the count of a retry counter is reset to one. Similarly, apredetermined key sequence or a menu selection may be utilized to startthe updating process using the central computer or some other computerconnected to the central computer. At ST 602, the exerciser inputs anexerciser identifier using the input device which may be a keypad or abar code reader, for example. The exercise database is accessed todetermine whether the entered exerciser identifier is in the exercisedatabase at ST 603. If the entered exercise identifier is not in theexercise database, control passes to ST 604 and ST 605 where theexerciser is prompted via a prompt on the display device of the centralcomputer, a display device of the computer connected to the centralcomputer, or the display device of the exercise terminal to re-enter theexerciser identifier. A counter is incremented at ST 604 each time theexerciser enters an exerciser identifier which is not found in theexercise database at ST 603. If the count of the counter is greater thana predetermined retry number m (such as three) at ST 605, the exerciseris prompted via the appropriate display and/or speaker(s) at ST 606 thatthe entered exerciser identifier is invalid and that the systemadministrator should be contacted. If the exerciser identifier is foundin the exercise database at ST 603, information and messages may becommunicated to the exerciser visually and/or aurally at ST 607. Theinformation may, for example, inform the exerciser about upcoming healthclub matters such as closings, changed hours, etc. or about upcominghealth club events. Messages to the exerciser from the systemadministrator or a fitness consultant may also be reviewed at this time.When the exerciser is finished reviewing any information or messages atST 607, the exerciser may be prompted for various inputs, for example,to update the exerciser profile at ST 608. The exerciser may be promptedto input, for example, his/her current weight; to update any exercisegoals such as a race in which the exerciser will participate; etc. Itwill be appreciated that various interfaces for updating profile datamay be utilized and the invention is not limited in this respect. Whenthe exerciser's input is complete, the process ends at ST 609. Thisupdating may even take place while an exerciser is exercising usingprompts displayed on the display of an exercise apparatus terminal orexercise station terminal.

Various factors which may be utilized in the selection of exercises andworkouts by the system control program and/or a fitness consultant willnow be described. In a first instance, suppose the exerciser had enteredan exerciser profile indicating a fitness goal of fat loss. If the pulserate of the exerciser as monitored by the processor of an exerciseterminal during the exercises of previous workouts is generally outsidethe range for fat loss, for example, below 65% of the exerciser'smaximum heart rate, the system control program or the fitness consultantmay subsequently select exercises which are “harder” in order toincrease the exerciser's pulse rate up into the range which is bestsuited to achieve fat loss, i.e., between about 65% and 75% of theexerciser's maximum heart rate. Similarly, if the pulse rate of theexerciser as monitored by the processor of an exercise terminal duringthe exercises of previous workouts is generally too high for achievingfat loss, i.e., above 75% of the exerciser's maximum heart rate, thesystem control program or the fitness consultant may subsequently selectexercises which are “easier” in order to decrease the exerciser's pulserate down into the range which is best suited to achieve fat loss, i.e.,between about 65% and 75% of the exerciser's maximum heart rate. As anexerciser continues a training routine, it will be likely that harderexercises will need to be selected to ensure that an exerciser's pulserate is within the range best suited for achieving fat loss so that thefull benefits of workouts may be obtained.

In a second instance, the system control program or the fitnessconsultant may base the exercise selection on a particular fitness goalof the exerciser, e.g., playing soccer, playing tennis, playing golf,playing basketball, playing hockey, playing baseball, skiing, etc. Sucha fitness goal may be entered in the exerciser's profile and thenutilized by the system control program or the fitness consultant in theselection, over time, of a sequence of exercises and workouts designedto train the exerciser for the selected fitness goal. For example, foran exerciser who plays tennis, the system control program or the fitnessconsultant may select exercises and workouts which are best suited forgetting an exerciser in “tennis shape”, e.g., exercises which havealternating relatively short periods of high exercise levels(corresponding to volleys) and relatively short periods of low exerciselevels (corresponding to the time between points). Similarly, for anexerciser who plays soccer, the system control program or fitnessconsultant may select exercises and workouts which are best suited forgetting an exerciser in “soccer shape”, e.g, exercises which haverelatively long periods of moderate exercise levels and relatively shortperiods of high activity levels. In addition, the system control programor fitness consultant may also base the selection for complementing thetraining of an exerciser for some event, for example, running a fivekilometer race, running a ten kilometer race, running a marathon,bicycling in a bicycle race of some distance, etc. The event may even bemore specifically defined, e.g., running a ten kilometer race on aparticular date in the future. Taking into account the current date, thesystem control program or fitness consultant may select a sequence ofexercises and workouts designed to complement other training of theexerciser (e.g., road work) for the race on the particular day. Theinformation as to the exerciser's fitness goals may also permit thesystem control program or the fitness consultant to select exerciseswhich “balance” utilization of various muscle groups. For instance, ifan exerciser selects a goal associated with running, the system controlprogram or fitness consultant may select exercises which attempt tocompensate for the greater use of certain muscles during running. Ofcourse, the system control program or fitness consultant may base theexercise selection on a combination of the first and second instances,i.e., a combination of a particular fitness goal such as running,basketball, etc. and an indication of whether fat loss orcardiorespiratory fitness is desired.

In a third instance, the system control program or fitness consultantmay base the exercise selection on pulse rates determined by a physicianfor a rehabilitation program of a patient. For example, the physicianmay determine that the patient's pulse rate during exercise should be inrange defined by a first, lower pulse rate and a second, higher pulserate. Thus, if the processor of an exercise terminal monitors that thepatient's pulse rate was generally below the first pulse rate during oneor more previous exercises or workouts, the system control program orthe fitness consultant may subsequently automatically select harderexercises and workouts. Similarly, if the patient's pulse rate generallyexceeded the second pulse rate during one or more previous exercises orworkouts, the system control program or the fitness consultant maysubsequently select easier exercises. In situations where a patient'spulse rate must be carefully controlled, the system control program mayinclude a routine for automatically changing the difficulty level and/orexercise time during exercise if the patient's pulse rate is too high ortoo low. Such changes may be stored in the exercise database andutilized by the system control program or fitness consultant in thesubsequent selection of exercises and workouts.

In a fourth instance, the system control program or fitness consultantmay base the exercise selection on a current date. For example, personsare more likely to gain weight during the year-end holidays.Accordingly, the system control program or fitness consultant may selectexercises which are designed to achieve fat loss during this time of theyear. In addition, during winter months, e.g., December, January, andFebruary, an exerciser's outdoor activities may be reduced. Accordingly,the system control program or the fitness consultant may selectexercises of increased exercise time and/or difficulty in order tocompensate for the reduced outdoor activities in order to bettermaintain the exerciser's fitness level.

The system control program of central computer 102 may includeadditional routines for implementing various other features of thepresent invention. For example, the system control program may include aroutine for permitting the periodic and/or automatic tracking of theprogress of one or more the exercisers. Such a routine may periodicallyscan the exercise database to determine, for example, if there are anyexercisers who have missed one or more workouts, who have not worked outfor some period of time, or whose physiological data collected duringexercise indicates inadequate progress. The routine of the systemcontrol program may then output data on a display screen or on printingdevice which identifies such exercisers so that the administrator of thecentral computer can notify the appropriate fitness consultants. In analternative implementation, the routine of the control program mayoutput and forward an e-mail (electronic mail) message to the fitnessconsultant. In either case, the fitness consultant can quickly be madeaware of possible problems in the exerciser's work habits or of someillness or injury preventing the exerciser from working out. Thisfeedback of the exerciser's activities permits a more hands-on approachto be taken by the fitness consultant. In still another alternativeembodiment, the routine of the control program may output and forward ane-mail message to the exerciser.

The control program of central computer 102 may also include a routinewhich monitors which exercise terminals are currently being used byexercisers. Such a routine is particularly useful in a health clubsetting, although its implementation is not limited in this respect. Bymonitoring which exercise terminals are currently in use, the routinecan verify that an exercise terminal of the type to be used next by anexerciser is available. In this way, the display of FIG. 13B whichindicates a specific exercise terminal to be used next may be generated.If an exercise terminal of the type to be used next is not available,the system control program can select an exercise terminal which isavailable. For example, if the next exercise terminal to be used by anexerciser in a pre-selected workout is a stepper, but all the steppersare currently being used, the system control program can direct theexerciser to a stationary bicycle. If appropriate, after using thestationary bicycle, the exerciser may be directed to the stepper. Inthis way, the exerciser is not kept waiting to use exercise terminals.

In addition, a routine for monitoring which exercise terminals arecurrently being used may be used to inform exercisers which exerciseterminals are currently available and how much time remains in theexercises for exercise terminals which are currently being used. Thisroutine is particularly useful at peak use times of a health club andpermits exercisers to determine when certain exercise terminals may befree. The exercisers may access this information using a display and akeyboard and/or pointing device (such as a mouse) of central computer102. An example of a screen which may be presented on the display ofcentral computer 102 to inform exercisers is shown in FIG. 15A. Theupper portion 350 of the display is similar to the displays of FIGS. 13Aand 13B and shows the arrangement and locations of the exerciseterminals at the health club. The list box 351 lists the types ofexercise terminals at the health club, i.e., steppers, stationarybicycles, treadmills, sit-up station, and pull-up station. A cursor 353may be positioned to highlight one of the terminal types in this listusing the keyboard or the pointing device. The indicators in the upperdisplay portion 350 which correspond to the highlighted terminal typeare visually distinguished from other indicators. In this case, thecursor 353 is positioned on the list choice “STEPPERS” and thusindicators 301, 311, 312, and 313 are visually distinguished from otherindicators. The list box 355 lists each terminal in the health club ofthe type highlighted in list box 351. Thus, in this case, list box 355lists the four steppers corresponding to indicators 301, 311, 312, and313 of the upper display portion 350. For each stepper, an indication isprovided as to whether that stepper is free (i.e., not currently beingused) or as to how much time remains in the current exercise programwhich is being executed. As shown in FIG. 15A, stepper 1 has 12:15 (12minutes, 15 seconds) remaining in the current exercise program; stepper2 has 8:12; stepper 3 has 2:12; and stepper 4 is free. In FIG. 15B, thecursor has been positioned to highlight “STATIONARY BICYCLES” in listbox 351. Thus, indicators 316 and 317 are visually distinguished fromother indicators and list box 355 lists the stationary bicyclescorresponding to indicators 316 and 317. As shown in FIG. 15B,stationary bicycle 1 has 3:14 remaining in the current exercise programand stationary bicycle 2 has 2:25 remaining As shown in FIG. 15C, thecursor may be positioned in the list box 355 and positioned to highlightone of the stationary bicycles, e.g., stationary bicycle 2. In thiscase, only indicator 317 corresponding to stationary bicycle 2 isvisually distinguished from other indicators.

The system control program may also include a routine which permitsexercisers to reserve particular exercise terminals using, for example,their exerciser identifiers. The reservation may be for a particulartime, e.g., 6:30 p.m.; for a particular terminal when it becomes free;or for any terminal of a particular type when it becomes free. Theexerciser may then begin exercising on another terminal. When thereserved terminal becomes free, the exerciser is provided with a promptat the terminal at which he/she is currently exercising. The prompt maybe either visual (e.g., on the display of the exercise terminal) oraural (using the speaker of the exercise terminal). The exerciser maythen confirm his/her intention to use the reserved exercise terminal ormay cancel the reservation to free the exercise terminal. If theexerciser confirms his/her intention to use the reserved exerciseterminal, the reserved terminal is then available only for his/her usefor some period of time, e.g., two minutes. During this time, otherexercisers will be “locked-out” from using the exercise terminal.Specifically, the exercise terminal can be used only by entering theexerciser identifier or some password of the exerciser who reserved theexercise terminal. Alternatively or in addition, the central computermay cause an announcement over a loudspeaker (or loudspeakers)positioned in the health club. Still further, when the reserved terminalbecomes free, the exerciser may be paged using a paging system. Such apager system could, for example, be similar to a pager system used inrestaurants. The reservation may be placed using an interface similar tothe interface described above with respect to FIGS. 15A-15C. Forexample, a predetermined keypress from the screen of FIG. 15C may bringup a reservation screen such as the screen of FIG. 15D. As suggested byFIG. 15D, the exerciser may reserve stationary bicycle 2 “NEXT”, i.e.,at the end of the current exercise program or at a “PARTICULAR TIME”.The exerciser is also given the option to reserve the first availablestationary bicycle, i.e., whichever one of stationary bicycles 1 and 2is free first. Selection of these choices leads the exerciser to ascreen such as that of FIG. 15E where the exerciser is prompted to enterhis/her exerciser identifier or password in order to complete thereservation process. It will be apparent that more sophisticatedreservation processes, taking into account, for example, reservations byother exercisers, may be implemented within the spirit of the presentinvention.

In addition, a display such as the display of FIG. 15A may be providedon the display of an exercise terminal. Such a display may, for example,be automatically generated as an exerciser's current exercise at anexercise terminal is finishing up, e.g., when there is less than aminute left in the current exercise. The exerciser may use NEXT and PREVkeys 336 and 338 to position a cursor so as to highlight one of theexercise terminal types in list box 351. The exerciser can use thisinformation in making his/her determination as to which exerciseterminal he/she should use next. In another implementation, theexerciser may press a numeric key corresponding to one of the steppers,for example, to reserve that stepper for some predetermined period oftime. It is noted that these features for providing informationregarding other exercise terminals and for reserving exercise terminalsmay be implemented independently of the automatic “next exerciseterminal” feature described above.

The system control program of central computer 102 may also include alock-out routine for locking out other exercisers when a first exerciseris finishing up a program (e.g., less than two minutes remaining) on afirst exercise terminal and the exercise database includes workout datawhereby the first exerciser is to use a second exercise terminal whenhe/she is finished using the first exercise terminal. Assuming thesecond exercise terminal is currently available, the lock-out routine ofthe system control program would not permit other exercisers to beginusing the second exercise terminal. For example, when the secondexerciser enters his/her exerciser identifier into the second exerciseterminal, a prompt may be displayed on the display portion of theexercise terminal indicating the exercise terminal is not currentlyavailable to be used. However, when the first exerciser enters his/herexerciser identifier, the lock-out routine does not lock out the firstexerciser from using the second exercise terminal.

Central computer 102 may also utilize an e-mail link for communicationto/from exercisers. For example, a fitness consultant may advise anexerciser that workout days using the exercise terminal network shouldbe intermixed with workout days of other exercises including, but notlimited to, walking, swimming, biking, tennis, golf or jogging. In oneimplementation, another routine of the system control program may queryan exerciser via e-mail as to whether any such activity was performed ona day when the exerciser does not go to the health club. For example,the routine of the system control program may scan the exerciserdatabase to determine which exercisers did not work out using anexercise terminal connected in the exercise terminal network on aprevious day. The routine may then generate and forward an e-mailmessage to these exercisers asking about any activity or activitieswhich they may have performed on that previous day. The e-mail messagemay, for example, comprise a form-like message having check boxes andedit fields which the exerciser can “fill-in” and return to the centralcomputer as an e-mail reply. The form-like message for a particularexerciser may be a generic message suitable for all the exercisers usingthe network or may be generated based on activities in which theexerciser indicates to the fitness consultant that he/she participates.The e-mail reply is used by central computer 102 to appropriately updatethe exercise database. In this way, an accurate record of all activitiesby the exerciser may be maintained in the exercise database and utilizedin selecting appropriate work-outs which use the exercise terminals ofthe exercise network and which involve other exercise activities.

Yet another routine of the control program may generate and forward toan exerciser an e-mail message setting forth a workout for the exerciseron a particular day or days. The exerciser may then indicate via a replye-mail message whether he/she performed the suggested work-out (or someother workout, if any).

While the invention has been described in terms of terminals connectedto a central computer, certain features may be implemented in astand-alone terminal by providing a table such as the table of FIG. 16in the memory (e.g, E²PROM) of each exercise terminal. The table of FIG.16 defines a relationship between exercisers and exercises.Specifically, the table of FIG. 16 includes exerciser identifiers eachof which is associated with an exerciser. The exerciser identifiers may,for example, be exerciser identifier numbers. For each exerciseridentifier, the table identifies exercise data such as an exerciseidentifier, exercise parameters (e.g., a total exercise time and adifficulty level), and “next” exercise data. For example, exerciseprogram 1, a total exercise time parameter of 8:00 minutes, a difficultylevel parameter of 8, and an exerciser terminal type identifier of 13may be associated with exerciser identifier 1. It will be appreciatedthat the total exercise time and/or the difficulty level may be omitted,if desired. The exercise terminal type identifiers may be provided inorder to provide a prompt to an exerciser regarding the next exerciseterminal to be used by the exerciser. In this regard, when an exerciseprogram is completed, a database portion such as the database portion ofFIG. 11B is accessed using the exercise terminal type identifier togenerate a prompt for prompting the exerciser as to which exerciseterminal type should be utilized next. This prompt may be a visualprompt using a display, an aural prompt using a speaker(s), or acombined visual and aural prompt using both a display and a speaker(s)as described above with respect to FIGS. 13A and 13B. In order to usethe stand-alone terminal, the exerciser enters his/her exerciseridentifier and the processor uses the entered exercise identifier toaccess the table of FIG. 16. From the table, the processor selects aprogram from memory and sets the appropriate total exercise time and/ordifficulty level. The exerciser may, if desired, change thesepre-selected data items. The user may then begin exercise. The memorymay also be configured to allocate some memory for storing data such aspulse rate during exercise and/or to store any changes which were madeto the program data by the exerciser. The data constituting the table ofFIG. 16 may be periodically provided to the ROM of the exercise terminalusing, for example, a portable memory module or a computer connected tothe exercise terminal using the I/O port.

Each of the above-referenced issued patents and patent applications arehereby incorporated by reference into the instant specification.

While there has been shown and described various embodiments of thepresent invention, it will be evident to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications may be made thereto without departing from thescope of the invention which is set forth in the appended claims.

1. A system comprising: an interface for receiving data communicatedfrom multiple exercise machines; a storage medium for storingmachine-related data for the multiple exercise machines, themachine-related data comprising at least maintenance data, use data andwarranty data for a respective one or more of the exercise machines; anda processor for updating the machine-related data based on the datareceived from the multiple exercise machines and for automaticallyperforming one or more operations with reference to at least some of thestored machine-related data to produce operation-generated informationabout one or more of the multiple exercise machines.
 2. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the operation-generated information ismaintenance information.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein themultiple exerciser machines include exercise machines located atdifferent health club facilities.
 4. A method comprising: receiving datacommunicated from multiple exercise machines; storing machine-relateddata for the multiple exercise machines, the machine-related datacomprising at least maintenance data, use data and warranty data for arespective one or more of the exercise machines; updating themachine-related data based on the data received from the multipleexercise machines; and automatically performing one or more operationswith reference to at least some of the stored machine-related data toproduce operation-generated information about one or more of themultiple exercise machines.
 5. The method according to claim 4, whereinthe operation-generated information is maintenance information.
 6. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein the multiple exerciser machinesinclude exercise machines located at different health club facilities.7. A system, comprising: multiple processor-controlled exercisemachines; a server computer comprising an interface for receiving datacommunicated from the multiple exercise machines; storage for storingmachine-related data for the multiple exercise machines, themachine-related data comprising at least maintenance, use and warrantydata for a respective one or more of the exercise machines; and aprocessor for updating the machine-related data based on the datareceived from the multiple exercise machines and for automaticallyperforming one or more operations with reference to at least some of thestored machine-related data to produce operation-generated informationabout one or more of the multiple exercise machines.
 8. The systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the multiple exercise machines include oneor more of weight machines, stair climbers, steppers, rowing machines,ski machines, treadmills, cross trainers, and stationary bicycles. 9.The system according to claim 7, wherein the multiple exercise machinesare adapted for wireless communication.
 10. A computer readable mediumhaving at least one physical media and encoded with computer programcode for accessing a data structure comprising machine-related data forone or more of multiple exercise machines, the medium having storedthereon a data structure including machine-related data for each of oneor more of the multiple exercise machines, the data structurecomprising: a first data field including data regarding maintenance ofthe exercise machines; a second data field including data regarding useof the exercise machines; and a third data field including dataregarding a warranty of the exercise machines, wherein the program codeautomatically performs one or more operations with reference to at leastsome of the stored machine-related data to produce operation-generatedinformation about one or more of the multiple exercise machines.
 11. Asystem comprising: an interface for receiving information communicatedfrom multiple exercise machines configured for wireless communication; astorage medium for storing machine-related information for the multipleexercise machines, the machine-related information comprising at leastmaintenance information, use information and manufacturer informationfor a respective one or more of the exercise machines; and a processorfor updating the machine-related information based on the informationreceived from the multiple exercise machines.
 12. The system accordingto claim 11, wherein the manufacturer information comprises manufacturername.
 13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the maintenanceinformation comprises information relating to prior maintenance.
 14. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein the maintenance informationcomprises information relating to future maintenance.
 15. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the machine-related information furthercomprises warranty information.
 16. The system according to claim 11,wherein the machine-related information further comprises locationinformation relating to machine location.
 17. The system according toclaim 11, wherein the wherein the multiple exerciser machines includeexercise machines located at different health club facilities.
 18. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein the multiple exercise machinesinclude one or more of treadmills, cross trainers, and stationarybicycles.